Kenya Red Cross: 22 dead in upscale mall attack

A security officer helps a wounded woman outside the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya on Saturday, Sept. 21 2013, after gunmen threw grenades and opened fire during an attack that left multiple dead bodies and dozens wounded. AP

NAIROBI, Kenya — A Kenya Red Cross official says at least 22 people have been killed in an attack on an upscale Nairobi mall.

Abbas Gullet said Saturday there are likely more dead from the attack that saw gunmen using grenades and gunfire. Kenya’s military surrounded the Westgate mall hours after the midday attack in the upscale Westlands neighborhood in Kenya’s capital.

Nairobi police Chief Benson Kibue blamed the attack on terrorists, though he did not name a group.

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A witness said that the attackers said they were targeting non-Muslims.

An al-Qaida-linked Somali militant group had threatened large-scale attacks on Kenya for sending its military into Somalia.